Chapter 7
Going alone to the meeting was a risk—but also a necessary test.
Elizabeth wasn't walking in unprepared. Dying once had taught her that any carelessness could mean total destruction.
Hughes had left Nightfall to her. It was her final insurance policy.
Given Hughes's strategic mind and the importance he placed on the organization, he never would've handed it to her if Nightfall couldn't be trusted.
Yet in her past life, she'd never activated this card. And Nightfall had never sought out their legitimate heir.
That didn't add up.
The only explanation? Someone inside had intercepted information about her identity. Or worse—someone had deliberately made the rightful heir disappear, defying Hughes's last wishes.
If Nightfall had helped her back then, even just a little, during her most desperate hours, she might not have ended up tortured to death, vanishing without a trace.
The thought stoked the ice-cold rage in her chest. That hidden traitor wasn't just rotting within the organization—they were an accomplice to her past-life tragedy.
An hour later, Elizabeth stood alone before the rusted metal door of the designated warehouse.
Salt air from the harbor swept through the abandoned building, tousling the strands of hair at her temples.
She shoved open the corroded door. Inside, dim light. Five pairs of eyes snapped toward her.
Then nothing.
Clearly, Noel's punctual arrival hadn't been anticipated. Or rather, they'd expected someone else entirely.
The leaders—Ray, Lynx, Blade, and Uri—exchanged glances, their gazes loaded with undisguised scrutiny and contempt.
Finally, their attention shifted to the man standing slightly ahead: acting leader Viper.
Viper adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes raked over Elizabeth from head to toe. A mocking smile curved his lips as he spoke first, his voice dripping with dismissal. "Get lost. This isn't some playground for you. We don't need your kind here. Take your business elsewhere."
He'd clearly mistaken Elizabeth for some escort who'd wandered in—or any other irrelevant nobody.
Elizabeth's expression didn't flicker. As if she hadn't heard the insult at all, she spoke calmly, her voice echoing clearly through the hollow space. "I'm here for a meeting."
That made all five pause.
Viper's laugh came out sharp, laced with mockery that his companions clearly shared. "With your boyfriend? Listen, sweetheart, I don't care who you're meeting here. Right now, you and your little date need to leave. This place," he paused, his tone hardening with arrogance, "has been requisitioned by us."
The other four wore varying degrees of smirks, obviously agreeing—this woman and her ridiculous appointment were getting in the way.
Faced with their mockery and dismissal, Elizabeth remained rooted. She lifted her gaze slowly, sweeping it across all five before settling on Viper. Her tone went cold. "I think you're confused."
She tilted her head slightly, no warmth in her eyes. "I'm not meeting any boyfriend. I came here to meet a few stupid, arrogant subordinates."
The air in the warehouse crystallized instantly.
All laughter died.
Shock replaced contempt on their faces, then morphed into offended fury.
"What did you just say?" Viper's voice dropped, loaded with menace.
"Your hearing impaired too?" Elizabeth's tone stayed flat, every word dripping sarcasm. "I said I'm meeting some stupid subordinates. Though it seems they're even dumber than I anticipated."
The brutal insult hung in the air for one silent beat.
Then the rage erupted.
"Arrogant bitch!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"You've got some nerve!"
"Where'd this psycho come from, talking shit like that?"
Inside the warehouse, tension sharpened to a razor's edge.
Facing their fury and scorn, Elizabeth smiled faintly. She reached into her coat pocket with deliberate slowness.
Under five pairs of hostile eyes, she pulled out her phone and hit play.
"My hand! My fingers! Help me! Please stop! I'm begging you, please!!"
A man's shrill scream tore through the warehouse chaos—raw with agony and terror, echoing off every corner.
The recording was short. It stopped there.
But that scream—especially for these Nightfall members—they recognized it immediately. The target from the job they'd executed just hours ago, Henry.
This recording existed in only two places: their devices, and Noel's. It couldn't be faked.
The warehouse plunged into dead silence.
Every laugh, every curse, every insult—all of it lodged in their throats.
Shock morphed into disbelief on the four men's faces, then shifted to something resembling wary respect.
They stared at the small device in Elizabeth's hand like it was a live grenade.
Viper's face turned ugly. He locked onto Elizabeth, emotions churning behind his eyes.
Elizabeth pocketed the phone casually, as if she'd just handled something trivial.
She lifted her gaze, sweeping it across the five once more before settling on Viper's ashen face. Her tone gentled. "Now. Does anyone still doubt my identity, or think I'm not qualified?"
Her voice stayed low, yet carried an invisible pressure that weighed heavily on each man present.
Ray, Lynx, Blade, and Uri exchanged glances. This time, zero hesitation or disrespect remained.
The four moved in unison, stepping forward and ignoring Viper's dark expression. They dropped to one knee, heads bowed, voices ringing louder and firmer than before.
"Nightfall operatives report to our leader!" The four spoke as one, their declaration echoing through the hollow space.
An acknowledgment of the absolute authority that Noel's identity represented.
Only Viper remained standing, hands shoved in his pockets, that fake smile plastered across his face. No gesture of submission.
Elizabeth's gaze swept the four kneeling men before locking onto Viper.
Crystal clear now—he was the obstacle. The one who'd betrayed Hughes's trust and cut off her lifeline.
Old grudges and new hatred crystallized in this moment.
Viper adjusted his glasses, chuckling lightly to break the solemn atmosphere. "Why rush, gentlemen? We don't even know her true identity or capabilities yet. Accepting a leader based solely on an account seems pretty reckless, doesn't it?"